Cushioning mechanism



Oct. 26, 1954 H. L. SPENCE ETAL 2,692,769

QUSHIONING MECHANISM Original Filed May 9, 1947 Q34 m ma &

INVENTORS HUBERT L. SPE/VCE BY DONALD WILL/SON ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 26i954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUSHIONING MECHANISIW Hubert L. Spence,East Cleveland, and Donald Willison, Maple Heights, Ohio, assignors toNa.- tional Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio 10 Claims.

This invention relates to cushioning mechanism, and more particularly toa cushioning mechanism for use on railway vehicles.

This application is a division of an application of Hubert L. Spence andDonald Willison, Serial No. 747,014, filed May 9, 1947 and issued asPatent No. 2,644,684 on July '7, 1953.

An object of our invention is to provide a cushioning mechanism in whichresilient material, such as rubber, is associated withfrictiongenerating means in a novel manner.

Another object is to provide a cushioning mechanism having rubber meansfor cushioning shocks as well as for actuating the associatedfrictiongenerating means.

A further object is to provide a cushioning mechanism in which a singleblock of rubber serves to cushion shocks and also simultaneously toactuate the associated friction members.

A more specific object is to provide a cushioning mechanism comprising apair of friction members with rubber means therebetween adapted tocushion shocks and to urge the members laterally into engagement withassociated friction surfaces.

A still further object is to provide a cushioning mechanism comprisingrelatively movable friction members having opposed sloping planesurfaces and a rubber block interposed between the surfaces adapted tocushion shocks applied to the mechanism and to urge the members intoengagement with associated friction surfaces.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent from thefollowing description of our invention taken in conjunction with thedrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in longitudinal vertical sectionof an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken along line 2-2 ofFig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there are illustrated a pair of similarinterfitting relatively movable friction members 10 with a rubbercushion unit H interposed therebetween. Each member 10 comprises a wedgeportion 12 having a sloping face 13 for engagement with cushion unit "Hand a horizontal wall M to which preferably a wear plate 15 is securedby means of a weld. Each member also is formed with a pocket por- I tion16 for carrying cushion unit H and for receiving the cooperating wedge72 of the other friction member. Each pocket is provided with a surface11 on transverse wall F8 for engagement with Wear plate l5 of theadjacent wedge. The sidewalls SI of each friction member are formed withdiagonally extending end surfaces 52 which oppose each other in spacedrelationship and are adapted to engage during the operation of themechanism to limit the relative movement between the friction members.Side walls 8| also serve to prevent Walls 18 from being distortedoutwardly by the wedging action. Each side wall 8| preferably extendsbeyond wedge portion 12 of the friction member, as at 39, to assure fullsurface contact between the opposed diagonal surfaces 82. Each memberill also is provided with an abutment wall 83 against which the forcesand shocks to be cushioned are applied to the device. Cushion unit llwhich is interposed between wedge faces 73 comprises a block ofresilient material, preferably rubber, with plates 84 vulcanized orotherwise bonded to the sides thereof. Unit "H is precluded from slidingrelative to wedge faces 13, during actuation of the mechanism, by meansof shoulders 85 on each member l0, which are in engagement with plates84. Guide rids 86 are provided on side walls 8i adjacent wedges E2 tomaintain the parts in proper position laterally of the mechanism.

Operation of the mechanism is as follows:

As a compressive force is applied to abutment walls 83 of th mechanism,members it] will move relative to one another in a longitudinaldirection. The cushion unit 1! will resist the relative movement andwill simultaneously urge wear plates 15 of wedge portions '12 againstfriction surfaces l! on transverse walls it of the opposing member. Thusthe compressive force applied to the mechanism is resisted by thecushion unit which is subjected to combined compression and shear and bythe ever increasing frictional forces generated between wedge ortions 12and the surfaces H as the friction members move relative to each other.This action will continue as the applied force increases until opposingsurfaces 82 engage to limit further compression of the mechanism.

The sides and ends of the rubber blocks are undercut slightly topreserve the bond between the rubber and the plates 84, and spaces 81and 88 adjacent the block are provided to allow greater space for theflow of the rubber durin compression of the mechanism.

In view of the practical impossibility of forming friction members ofidentical dimensions, after the parts are initially assembled and placedin operation, it is contemplated that the wear plate of only one ofwedges 12 will be in engagementwith its associated friction surface '11,and a clearance will exist between the other wear plate and itsassociated surface. Therefore, as relative longitudinal movement betweenmembers 10 occurs in operation, cushion unit II and the friction betweenonly one of plates 15 and surface 11 will oppose such movement. As thecompressive force applied to'the abutments-increases, the wedging actionbetween the rubber and wedge 12 will urge the one plate 15 and surface11 into tighter engagement." Operation of the device in this mannerwillcontinue until wear between plate 15 and theengaged surface 11 willcause frictional engagement to take place between the other plate 15 andits associated surface 11. Thereafter; the friction generated betweenboth wear plates and their engaging friction surfaces II will beavailable to absorb and cushion shocks.

The terms and expressions which we have employed are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation, and we have no intention, in the useof such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof. but recognize thatvarious modifications are possible within the scope of the inventionclaimed.

We claim:

1. In a cushioning mechanism a pair of similar relatively movableinterfitting members, each member comprising a wedge portion anda-pocket portion, each of the wedge portions being received in thepocket portion of the other member, each of the pocket portions-having asurface engaged by the wedge portion received in the pocket portion, anda resilient pacl'int erposed between the Wedge portions and adapted tocushion relative movement between the members and to urge the wedgeportions laterally against the friction surfaces in the pocket portions.

2. In a cushioning mechanism apair of similar relatively movableinterfitting members, each member having a longitudinallyextendingfriction surface and a wedge portion, each wedge portion beingin engagement-with the friction surface on the other member, and aresilient pad interposed between the wedge portions for resistingrelative movement between the members and for urging the wedge portionsagainst the friction surfaces.

3. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of similar relativelymovableinterfitting members having friction surfaces in slidableengagement with one another, said members having opposed surfaces slopedlengthwise of the mecha-- nism, and a resilient pad interposedbetweensaid sloping surfaces adapted to cushion relative movementbetween said members and to urge said friction surfaces into tighterengagement.

4. In a cushioning mechanism-a pair of relatively movable interfittingmembers, each of said members having a wedge portion and a frictionwall, said wedge portion of each member being in slidable engagementwith said wall of the other member, said wedge portion of each memberhaving a face-directly opposing the corresponding face on the wedgeportion of the other mem-{ her, and a resilient pad interposed betweenand in engagement with said faces adapted to cushion relative movementbetween said members and to urge each wedge portion against the frictionwall of the other member with increasing force.

5. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of members movablelongitudinally relative to each other, each of said members having alongitudinally sloping surface opposing acorresponding sloping surfaceon the otherine'mber, each of said members having a friction surface inslidable engagement with a friction face on the other member, aresilient pad interposed between the sloping surfaces to cushionrelative longitudinal movement between said members and simultaneouslyto urge said friction surface on one member into tighter engagement withsaid friction face on the other member.

6. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of members movablelongitudinally relative to each other, each of said members having anabutment wall and a plurality of walls extending from said abutmentwall, certain of said walls being in slidable engagement withcomplemental walls of the opposing member, another of said walls beingsloped lengthwise of the mechanism and being in spaced opposed relationto the corresponding wall of the opposing member and resilient meansinterposed between the sloped walls of said members for opposingrelative longitudinal movement between said members and si multaneouslyfor urging said slidably engaged walls into tighter engagement.

'7. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of members movablelongitudinally relative to each other, said members having slidablyengaged friction surfaces and opposed longitudinally sloping surfaces,and resilient means interposed between said sloping surfaces fordirectly cushioning relative longitudinal movement between said membersand simultaneously for urging said friction surfaces into tighterengagement.

8. In a cushioning mechanism, a pair of relatively movable interfittingmembers, each member having a wedge portion and a friction wall, thewedge portion of each member being in slidable frictional engagementwith the friction wall of the other member, a resilient pad interposedbe-' tween the wedge portions adapted to cushion relative movementbetween the members, each member having abutment means for engagementwith the'other member to limit relative movement between the members.

9. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of relatively movableinterfitting members, each member having a wedge portion and a pocketportion, the pocket portion in each member having a friction surface,the wedge portion of each member extending into the pocket portion ofthe other member and being in engagement with the friction surfacetherein, the wedge portion of each member being in opposed relation tothe wedge portion of the other member, resilientmeans interposed betweenthe opposed wedge portions, each pocket portion having guide means formaintaining the members in proper position laterally of the mechanism.

10. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of members movablelongitudinally relative to one another, each of said members having anabutment wall and a plurality of walls ex tending from said abutmentwall. at leastone of said walls of each member having a diagonallyextending end surface in "spaced opposed r'e'la tionship to acomplementary surface on a Wall of the other member, said surfaces beingadapted for engagement to limit relative movement between said members,other of said walls being in slidable engagement withcomplementarytwalls of the opposing member, another of said walls beingsloped longitudinally of the mechanism and being in spaced opposedrelationship to the corresponding wall of the other member, andresilient means interposed between the sloped walls of said members foropposing relative longitudinal movement between the members and forurging said slidably engaged walls into tighter engagement.

5 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 754,594 McKeen Mar. 15, 1904 1,008,670 O'Connor Nov.14, 1911 10 1,884,520 Barrows Oct. 25, 1932 2,601,901 Lehrman July 1,1952

